Ball rollway toy



Aug. 17, 1954 1. w. BOOTH BALL ROLLWAY TOY Filed Nov. l3, 1951 VIAIVENTOR. L29 [5.500%

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Aw AME NP Patented Aug. 17, 1954 BALL ROLLWAY TOY Irving W. Booth, Kenilworth, Ill., assignor to Jim- .lon Toy (30., Highwood, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application November 13, 1951, Serial No. 256,079

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates generally to amusement devices or toys and. more particularly to a novel device of this character which is specially suited for small children.

It is well. known that action toys, such as those involving moving balls and the like, are particularly attractive to small children. However, to provide a successful toy of this type it is necessary that the construction of the toy be simple, inexpensive, and durable. Moreover, it

highly desirable that the toy possess educational and instructive features in addition to its amusement value.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of my invention to provide a novel toy or amusement device having both educational and amusement values.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved action toy of the rolling ball and rollway type.

An additional object of the invention is to pro vide a novel toy or amusement device of the rolling ball and rollway type wherein the parts are so related and arranged that the balls can be introduced onto the rollways at only a single point thereby insuring proper manipulation of the toy even by small children.

A. further object of the invention is to provide a novel toy or amusement device for small children which at the same time teaches coordination and alertness and provides important raining in dexterity.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a novel toy or amusement device for small children which is also capable of providing important instruction in color recognition.

Other objects and advantages of the invention ill become apparent from the subsequent deailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawing, wherein:

rig. 1 is a perspective view on a reduced scale of a preferred structural embodiment of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational View of the device on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the device as seen from the right in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken along the line l-d of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken along the line 5-5 of Fig. 2; and

Fig, 6 is a fragmentary view taken along the line 6-4;; of Fig. 2 to illustrate more fully the mode of operation of the device.

Broadly speaking, the device comprises a support providing a plurality of superimposed inclined pathways or tracks adapted to receive a plurality of rolling balls. As will appear hereinafter, the pathways or tracks embody diverging supporting elements such that the rolling balls drop vertically from the end of one track to the beginning of the next lower track thereby providing continuous operation of the toy.

Referring now to the drawing, the device illustrated therein by way of example comprises a pair of uprights or end members II and H2 attached at opposite ends of a horizontal base I3. The upright H has an inlet aperture It at the top thereof and an outlet aperture I5 at the bottom thereof, the apertures l4 and 15 being of sufiicient size to accommodate one of a plurality of balls indicated at it. Three triangularly spaced elongated members or rods, designated at ll, [8, and It, extend horizontally between the upper end portions of the uprights H and I2 in order to provide a rack or storage place for the balls it. As will be clear from Figs. 3 and 4 in particular, the spacing between the uppermost rod I! and each of the lower rods #8 and I9 is slightly less than the diameter of the balls It so that the latter are readily supported in the manner shown.

Disposed below the rack or storage place for the balls [6 are a plurality of superimposed oppositely inclined rollways adapted to support the balls I 6 for rolling movement thereon. Each rollway is formed by a pair of oppositely disposed elongated elements or guides extending in inclined relation between the uprights H and i2. These guides may conveniently comprise elongated rods or dowels of circular cross-section. Any desired number of such rollways may be provided, but by way of illustration I have shown in the drawing four such pairs of rods as indicated in descending order at 202l, 22-23, A t-25, and 25-21. An important feature of my invention resides in the fact that the pair of rods constituting each rollway not only incline downwardly to provide the desired rolling movement, but in addition the rods in each pair diverge outwardly from each other so that each pair of rods is spaced further apart at the lower end of the incline than at the upper end of the incline. The narrower spacing of the rods at the upper end of each rollway is slightly less than the ball diameter, and at the lower end of each rollway the rod spacing is greater than the ball diameter, as shown in the drawing.

As a result of the diverging relation of the rods in each rollway, it will be seen that the balls 5 5 can drop downwardly from the lower end of one inclined, rollway to the upper end of the rollway below. Thus, in Fig. 2 a ball indicated at 55a has been inserted through the inlet aperture M at the narrow or restricted point of the rollway defined by the rods 2li-2l, and the ball 96a rolls down the inclined rollway to the left as indicated by the arrow. However, inasmuch as the rods 20-2! diverge or spread away from each other, it will be seen that eventually the ball I 6a drops downwardly through the rods 28- 2|, as indicated in dotted lines at lfib, and is received at the restricted or narrow point between the rods 22-23 defining the next lower rollway (Fig. 6). The same process is repeated for each rollway as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2, the successive positions of the ball being indicated at Hie, 16d, and Hie. As the ball rolls down the bottom rollway 26-21, it will be seen that the diverging rods permit the ball to be received on the base 3 for ejection through the outlet aperture 55, as at I6f.

A novel feature of the above-described arrangement is found in the elimination of impact noise if desired. Thus, in the form shown the pair of rods comprising each rollway diverge to a sufficient degree so that the lateral spacing between the rods exceeds the ball diameter substantially before the end of the rollway. In other words, as seen .at I61) in Fig. 2, the rod spacing is such that the ball drops vertically through the rollway just before it reaches the extreme lower end of the rollway thereby avoiding noisy impact between the rolling balls and the uprights l I or IE at the end or each inclined rollway. It will be understood that, as a result of the diverging relation of the rods in each rollway, the ball gradually sinks down between the spa-ced'rods as it rolls down the inclined rollway so that the axis of rotation of the ball gradually approaches the point of support or contact between the ball and the spaced rods. This efiect supplemented by the slight frictional resistance between the rolling balls and the rods is sufiicient to avoid any chance of impact b-ctween the balls and the uprights as a result of the momentum acquired by the rolling balls, and the balls therefore drop vertically from one rollway to the next without contacting the uprights H and i2.

In addition to the predetermined degree of divergence between the rods or guides of each rollway in order to permit the balls to drop succeseively from one rollway to the next, it is also important that the vertical spacing between the rods at the transfer point between adjacent rollways be restricted sufiiciently to prevent the balls from bouncing or rolling sideways ofi the device. For example, in Fig. 2 the ball indicated at Etc has dropped vertically from the rollway 2d 25 onto the rollway 262l. In some instances there may be a resilient bounce or reaction as the ball strikes the lower rollway, but the vertical distance between the corresponding upper and lower rods or guides 24 and 26 at one side and the rods and 21 at the opposite side is surficiently restricted to prevent the ball from leaving the rollway laterally of the device. A similar restricted spacing exists at the transfer points between the rollway Ell-2! and the rollway 22 23 and also between the rollway 22--23 and the rollway 24-45 so that once a'ball is introduced through the inlet I l it will traverse the respective rollways and emerge at the outlet l without any danger of leaving the device during normal usage.

As hereinbefore mentioned, the storage rack at the top of the device is so arranged that the balls l6 may be supported between the rods I8 and l'l-l9 when the toy is not in use. However, the restricted spacing between the rods l! is and l'l-l9 also serves another useful purpose in that it becomes impossible to place a ball on the uppermost rollway 2G2l except by inserting the ball through the inlet aperture I l thereby insuring proper and normal operation of the toy by even avery young child.

As will be readily understood, the present invention affords an interesting and attractive action toy which is well adapted to retain a child's interest for extended periods of time, Use of the toy requires a certain degree of coordination. alertness, and dexterity in continuously recovering the balls as they emerge from the outlet and returning the same to the inlet. Thus, the device has valuable educational and training attributes for young children as well as providing hours of wholesome amusement. Moreover, by providing balls of different colors, the invention permits important training in color recognition. For example, I prefer to employ three balls having the primary or basic colors red, green, and blue. By instructing the child to insert a ball of selecte color in the device, it will be seen that color recognition may be easily taught. In addition, the construction of the device is simple and sturdy and lends itself easily to fabrication from wood which is desirable in a childs toy both from the standpoint of durability and safety.

Although the invention has been described in connection with a specific structural embodiment thereof, it should be understood that various modifications and equivalent structures may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A device of the character described comprising an upright support having a pair of end walls, guide means mounted on said support between said end walls and defining a plurality of elongated superimposed alternately oppositely inclined ball rollways, a plurality of balls adapted to roll on said rollways, means at the adjacent ends of said rollways for permitting automatic transfer of the balls from the lower inclined end of one rollway to the upper inclined end of the rollway below, inlet aperture means in one of said end walls for introducing balls to the upper inclined end of the uppermost rollway, outlet aperture means in one of said end walls for discharging balls from the lower inclined end of the lowermost rollway, and rack means extending between said end walls immediately above the uppermost rollway at the top of said support for storing the balls when not in use, the spacing between said rack means and the uppermost rollway being less than the diameter of said balls whereby said rack means also serves to shield the uppermost rollway to prevent introduction of balls thereto except through said inlet aperture means.

2. The device of claim 1 further characterized in that said rack means comprises a plurality of elongated members extending between said end walls immediately above the uppermost rollway, the spacing between the respective members being less than the diameter of said balls whereby to provide support for the balls in storage position and whereby to prevent the balls from being inserted through the rack means onto the uppermost rollway.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,099,507 Marshall June 9, 1914 1,287,178 Bach et al. Dec. 10, 1918 1,687,315 Roche Oct. 9, 1928 2,400,410 Hatcher May 14, 1946 2,426,915 Bains Sept. 2, 1947 2,456,725 Netherton Dec. 21, 1948 

